Two Loners Don't Make a Dynamic Duo
by GokaiYellow
Summary: Minutemen. Zeke Thompson meets his match. Moody, sharp-tongued Kyoko ends up at Summerton High after a family move. When these two loners collide, there's no telling what will happen.
1. Prechapter: Can You Say This Bites?

Pre-chapter: Can You Say This Bites?

"I can't believe you're moving!" burst out Riley as she walked side-by-side with her friend, Kyoko, Kyo for short. Kyo was completely in her own world, not even hearing what Riley had just said to her. Riley stopped to admire a cute sundress in the nearby boutique window and Kyo kept walking.

_This is absolute whack! _she thought irritably. Kyo's mom broke the news to her and her younger brother Hiroshi just 2 days ago that her job had changed and they were being relocated to some random little town called Summerton in, who knows where. Riley had insisted on taking her shopping to spend some 'quality' friend time before she moved. Even though Kyo loathed shopping, she found it a decent excuse to escape her mom and the nearly empty house. Funny thing was, Riley used to be anti-shopping, makeup, and girly girl back when they were kids. Ever since they entered high school and she was asked out by the top swimmer at their school, Riley had embraced the feminine side of her that she had rejected for so long. Sadly, this sudden move came at the right time of their friendship.

"Kyoko!" yelled Riley as she ran to catch up with Kyo, "That was rude! You should have waited for me!" Kyo rolled her eyes skyward as Riley had also embraced cluelessness once she became a girly girl. Riley caught her breath and stopped Kyo from taking another step. "Honestly Kyo!" she panted, "You are so rude to just leave me like that! And what is with you today? You are just acting so weird." _Well gee, you think? I'm moving and you are still acting like the spaz I now have come to hate, _Kyo blatantly thought. Riley waved her hand in Kyo's face and threw her a look.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" demanded Riley as she continued to wave her hand in Kyo's face. Kyo became annoyed with Riley's hand in her face and she caught Riley's wrist and pulled it away from her face. Why had she even bothered to come with Riley in the first place? Since they first met up that day, all Riley managed to do was complain about her boyfriend, aka the best swimmer, Kyo moving, and the surprise quiz in science. Boring.

"I can't believe I even agreed to come with you today," Kyo irritably remarked as she turned to face Riley, "All I've heard today is complaints from you about your life and you know I hate shopping. This turned into a wasted day!"

"Excuse me? You're the one who hasn't been engaging in what I've been saying!" shot back Riley, almost cattily. "I thought shopping would take your mind off of things and I needed your opinion on an outfit for my nex-"

"It's called the movies. They call it the bookstore. Gee, oh yeah, and they named the facility the amusement park," Kyo sarcastically replied, "Any of those places would have worked out better than this. Some friend you are."

Riley's face contorted into one of rage and she merely snapped up her cell phone and began dialing. Before pressing the Call button, she spat at Kyo, "I'm calling Carrie. She'd help me out like any friend would. Not like you."

Kyo rolled her eyes skyward and walked away from Riley, far away from her. She walked 2 blocks away from where she left Riley standing and turned into the nearby art shop, her second home. She came here so often, even the staff knew her by name.

"Hey Kyo!" called Joey from the register, "Heard that you were moving. Is that true?" Kyo walked up to the counter to face Joey and took a deep breath. This would be the last time setting foot in here, this amazing second home with the staff that knew her so well.

"I'm afraid so," sighed Kyo as she looked Joey square in the eye, "I'm really gonna miss this place." She walked over to the shelves of comic strip sheets, inking pens, and coloring materials. Joey watched as she picked out 3 packets of 10 sheets of comic strip paper and a package of inking pens. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Since you're leaving," he began, "Whatever you buy today is half off. I owe you big time so this is my way of paying you back." Kyo spun around and smiled a little at that. That was Joey, always making promises and paying them back his way. She made her way to the counter and Joey rung up her purchases. As he handed her the bag of things, he slowly remarked, "Well, I guess this is good-bye."

"Bye Joey," she whispered as she stumbled out of the store. Good bye. Even the words brought so much emptiness to a person. As she headed toward her empty house, she felt tears sting her eyes and she forced them back to their reservoirs.


	2. Chapter 1: Since When Did Time Travel Fa

Chapter 1: Since When Did Time Travel Factor Into First Impressions?

Kyo examined the computer map printout of the school's layout as she stood before the school front. _Summerton High, yeah how original could they get? _shethought as she maneuvered around the cliques of kids and into the hallways. As she made her way to the office, she could feel several pairs of eyes on her as she walked past the kids in the hall. Other than the fact that she was new, she had blue tips at the ends of her long, straight black hair. It wasn't a huge trend back in her old town but here, it must have been really odd if someone showed up like that here.

Since her old school had a really bad system of sending over transcripts, Kyo's registration took nearly all of second period to complete. How lame. The secretary kept apologizing for the wait and Kyo reassured her that it wasn't a big deal. Finally after what seemed like eternity, the secretary handed her a printout of her schedule, her locker number, and lock combination.

"I have P.E. third?" she muttered as she skimmed the printout. The secretary pulled one of the campus security aids aside while Kyo kept reading the printout. She was startled out of her reverie by the secretary telling her that the campus security person was going to take her to her P.E. coach. Joy. Not.

"All right people!" hollered Coach Willis at the nearly sleepy P.E. class, "Since we have been demonstrating some poor enthusiasm this past week, you know what we get to do?"

"Have the period off?" a hopeful, scrawny 14 year old by the name of Charlie Tuttle piped up. Everyone snickered at Charlie's response and Coach Willis glared at him.

"Nice try Tuttle but obviously incorrect," he barked back, "No, today, we are running 5 laps without walking in between." The entire class groaned at the thought of it and Coach added in a poisonous tone that he could make it 10 if the class kept it up.

"What was that all about Charlie?" asked Charlie's best friend Virgil as he jogged alongside him, "Did you really expect that Coach would even cut us slack for any time of the day?"

Charlie made a face at him and remarked, "It was wishful thinking you know." Virgil snorted at Charlie's last remark and started to jog ahead of him. Typical Charlie behavior. As he continued to stay ahead of Charlie, a sight caught his eye and made him slow down a little. Coach had turned his back on the class to talk to the campus security aid that had come down from the main school building to talk to him. An Asian girl of 5'3"-5'4"ish with long, jet-black hair and dyed blue tips was standing next to the aid.

Virgil came to a stop to observe the sight and Charlie caught up to him. After catching his breath, Charlie waved his hand in Virgil's face to get his attention. "We're going to fail today's running assignment if we continue to stand here," he reminded the dazed Virgil, "Come on already!"

Virgil shook off Charlie and reluctantly started to jog again. "She, she's got to be new," Virgil mused as he chatted with Charlie. Charlie turned his head to get a better look at the girl and he had this eerie feeling after seeing her. It was too early to judge though.

Coach Willis shook hands with Kyo, as she forced herself to sound positive. "Well I'm having the class run right now," Coach remarked as he watched the group run. His eyes fell on her outfit of black Bermuda shorts, Converse© high tops, and yin-yang t-shirt. "Do you think you could run a few laps like that?" he inquired curiously, "There's not enough time to change before the period ends."

Kyo shrugged as she dropped her backpack on the ground and joined her classmates on the track. It wasn't a big deal anyways, after standing in the stark white office for 2 periods, some jogging wouldn't do her any harm.

Meanwhile, Virgil had caught up to Kyo and left Charlie in the dust again. "Hey, uh, you must be new, right?" he asked Kyo as he caught her attention. Kyo turned to face Virgil and she started to tie her hair up in a ponytail quickly.

"Yeah, I am," she confessed, "I'm guessing that dyed rainbow tips isn't a popular thing here isn't it?"

"Honestly, I believe not," Virgil replied with a small grin on his face, "But hey, it's still cool. I'm Virgil by the way." He extended his hand to her and she took it.

"I'm Kyo, nice to meet you Virgil," she responded as she shook his hand. Virgil gave her a funny look as soon as he heard her name. Kyo sighed as this wasn't the first time that people had asked about her nickname. Since she wasn't terribly fond of 'Kyoko,' she shortened it to 'Kyo' which sounded so much cooler. "Yeah well, my real name is 'Kyoko' but I got sick of hearing it so much so I just shortened it to 'Kyo.' Get it now?" Virgil's expression of confusion cleared up and he nodded. Charlie was getting tired of being left in Virgil's dust, so he jogged up to him.

"Virgil," began Charlie as he caught up to him, "Remem- oh uh, hi. You're uh, new aren't you?" _Was it really that obvious? Do I really stick out like a sore thumb? _thought Kyo as Charlie grilled her. Virgil quickly introduced them and Charlie seemed satisfied with the introductions. He then turned back to Virgil to complete his thought.

"Remember when you were telling me yesterday to invent something useful? Something to make you "popular"?" asked Charlie.

"You know I was kidding, right?" Virgil replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "Why what are you getting at?"

Charlie drew himself up proudly as he announced, "Virgil, I have created the perfect invention of a machine that can create time travel." Virgil stared at Charlie as if he was crazy and then shook his head.

"Oh come on, Charlie," he snorted amused, "You're 14 years old. And I'm supposed to believe that you created time travel." Virgil ran ahead of Charlie again and Charlie slowed down.

Charlie hollered after him, "Well excuse me! How's your time travel formula going?" Kyo had been listening to the very conversation as it took place. While Charlie caught his breath, she summoned words to formulate the very same thought that Virgil had.

"Did you watch Back to the Future while you were doing this 'so-called' invention?" she bluntly asked him. Honestly, time travel? Was this kid for real or was he just trying to mess with Virgil and her?

Charlie shook his head no and he snapped back, "Funny, but I didn't as a matter of fact." Kyo shrugged at him and told him to chill out. Charlie inhaled deeply then exhaled as he tried to calm himself. Then that funny feeling he had at the back of his mind hit him again. This girl that he had just met a few minutes ago, acted and almost had a rebel-like appearance like the recluse that had parked his motorcycle on the sidewalk this morning! Was it possible that they were…

"Hey just a question to ask you," Charlie began as Virgil caught back up with them again, "Do you happen to know a guy-hmph!" Virgil clapped a hand over Charlie's mouth just as he was about to ask Kyo his question. A puzzled Kyo watched Virgil struggle with Charlie to keep him silent. Charlie scowled under Virgil's hand-first this morning for that freak parking his bike on the sidewalk and now this! Unbelievable! He licked Virgil's hand and Virgil let go.

"Cut it out with the hand over my mouth!" Charlie yelled at Virgil, "That's twice today!" Charlie whirled around and quickly finished his question, "Do you happen to know a kid that rides a motorbike and wears a leather jacket?"

Kyo's puzzled expression turned into one of confusion. "Why, is this some kind of quiz or something? I don't know anyone here other than you guys."

"He's freakishly tall!" blurted out Charlie as he warded off Virgil's hand, "He looks like any second that he'd-hhmph!" Virgil silenced Charlie again and ignored Charlie's slimy tongue on the back of his hand.

"Sorry about asking," Virgil apologized, "We met him this morning and Charlie thought that somehow you two were related."

Kyo scrunched up her nose and asked slowly, "Uh okay? How would be related in any sort of way? I'm not freakishly tall and I don't have a motorcycle license."

Charlie wiggled free again and shouted a little too loudly, "You two act alike! It was like déjà vu meeting you and to realize that you two are similar!"

Kyo blinked in amazement and she turned to leave. As she picked up her backpack, she muttered under her breath, "Fantastic. I now am being compared to a boy who is said to be my clone. Great…"

Virgil let Charlie go and he irritably asked, "What was that all about Charlie? Now she thinks that we're crazy or insane."

"I had to say that!" Charlie exclaimed as he threw his arms in the air, "You know sooner or later they are going to somehow discover each other!" Virgil walked toward the locker rooms and shook his head. No way could that tough biker guy be in anyway, like the girl they had just met. Besides, there were tons of people at the school, so chances of crossing paths were less than likely. "It won't happen," he muttered at the thought of it, "Charlie's going crazy…"


	3. Chapter 2: Clash With Motorcycles

Chapter 2: Clash With Motorcycles

She had survived. Kyoko Isami had survived her first week of school. For all that week, there had been no run-ins with the mysterious biker guy aka her so-called-attitude twin. In fact, Charlie and Virgil were secretly glad that Kyo hadn't met the biker kid. If the two of them were to meet, there would be no telling how the two would act. Luckily, everyone had forgotten the biker kid until the second week had rolled around.

As she crossed the street to the front of the school, Kyo took one step up on the sidewalk before hearing the roar of a motor behind her. She whirled around and sharply dove for cover as a rider astride his motorcycle nearly collided into her. A stunned Kyo stood up as she watched the rider move his bike up a few feet ahead on the sidewalk before braking and coming to a stop. She dusted herself off and felt an intense burst of fiery, dragon-like rage surge through her veins.

The rider was removing his helmet as Kyo stormed up to him in a rage. He shook his mop of messy, helmet hair out of his eyes before turning to face Kyo. The original expression of annoyance on his face was quickly replaced with one of a casual, laid-back nature as he laid his eyes on a steaming Kyo.

"Hey there," he began smoothly, "What can I do for you?"

Kyo clenched her fists as she remarked angrily, "Don't go 'hey there' to me! You nearly ran me over with your motorcycle! Are you flipping insane?"

The boy's blue eyes blinked and became full of concern and sincerity. "You were the person ahead of me just a few seconds ago?"

Now Kyo was really getting steamed. One, this idiot ran her over. Two, he tried to play Mr. Smooth by talking like he was some sort of an ace. Three, he was absolutely oblivious to people he almost ran over! What nerve! "No, that was another girl," Kyo sarcastically replied, "Yes that was me! What did you think I was, your ex-girlfriend or something?"

The biker ran a hand through his messy dark brown hair and cringed slightly. "Oh God, I am so sorry," he apologized, his voice full of concern, "I-I didn't hit you did I? Are you hurt?"

It took all of Kyo's willpower to keep her from punching this knucklehead to get some serious thinking power back to his brain. The boy reached his left hand out to touch her forehead and Kyo pushed it away.

"I'm okay but not any thanks to you!" she growled as she stomped off to her first period class. The biker sighed deeply before picking up his backpack and joining the sea of his fellow classmates headed to their classes. World History was first and he wasn't looking forward to it at all.

The boy dropped his backpack on the floor by his desk and slumped down in his seat. Damn it, he had really managed to screw things up today. First, he overslept and two, he had one angry Asian girl on his back. As he pulled out his binder and a pencil, Virgil came whirling into the classroom and slid into his desk.

"I'm not late," he insisted as the teacher gave him a critical look, "The bell hasn't rung yet." The teacher shook her head at Virgil before marking that he was on time in her book. Virgil relaxed in his seat and his eyes skimmed the classroom. A peculiar sight out of the corner of his eye forced him to stop and stare. The biker kid that Charlie had a run-in with was sitting next to him! He shook himself to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating, but lo and behold, the kid was in his World History class. Good thing Charlie wasn't in this class with him at that moment.

The biker kid was hunched over his binder and as Virgil could see, the kid was scratching his name violently into the cover of the binder, completely ignoring the lesson. As the kid finished the final letter, Virgil read that the kid's name was Zeke. It was almost too fitting for a guy like him.

Virgil caught up to Charlie at P.E. class as the class did some laps around the track. "Charlie!" he breathlessly gasped as he ran toward his friend, "I have some news! That biker guy that you confronted, he's in my World History class! His name is Zeke!"

Charlie's eyes widened at the announcement and he hit himself twice to make sure that he wasn't mishearing what Virgil had just said. "No-no way! You're kidding, right?"

Kyo came up to them, still fuming over the morning incident. Charlie turned his head to see an outraged Kyo jogging alongside them.

"Whoa! Somebody looks upset," Charlie murmured as he studied Kyo's face, "Would you like to share with us why?" Kyo took a few deep breaths before spilling the story.

"You wouldn't believe this. This stupid kid on a motorbike almost ran me over today!" Kyo blurted out angrily, "I asked if he was absolutely oblivious and he went all 'Oh wow, I am so sorry. Are you hurt?' on me. What an idiot!" Virgil cringed as he could see where this was going. It was probably Zeke that she had the run-in with. Ooops.

"Uh um," Virgil began, "I hate to mention this, but that guy's in my World History class. I just figured that out this morning. His name is Zeke." Kyo's eyes went up in flames at the mere mention of the kid's name.

Charlie leaned in close to Virgil and whispered, "I told you so. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Virgil closed his eyes miserably as he tried to keep Kyo calm about the incident. _This is going to get ugly…_


	4. Chapter 3: You're Unforgettable

Chapter 3: You're Unforgettable

One period later, Kyo had managed to cool down after the morning episode with the biker kid Zeke. She hadn't exactly forgiven him but she felt several times calmer than before.

Since her 4th period class was right next to the lunch room, she had no trouble rushing ahead and saving the table for Virgil, Charlie, and Chester's group of geeks and outcasts. Chester always kept thanking her for doing this while she just shrugged it off as if it were nothing. As she pushed through the eager group of her classmates to snag the table, she thought she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. Kyo turned her head to see that the crazy Zeke guy was slinking into the lunch room, lunch sack in hand. He must have had a close classroom too.

Zeke felt guilty as he found his usual loner table and took a seat at it. The incident from this morning was still hanging over his head. He knew many people were afraid of him due to his height: 6' 4". Nobody dared to challenge him on anything or even attempt to socialize with him. Everyone assumed that he wanted to be left alone. As he opened his soda can, a thought hit him that had puzzled him for a while. If everyone was afraid of him, why wasn't that girl afraid of him? Had she not realized how tall he was? Or was height indifferent to her? The way that her amber brown eyes had flashed angrily at him as she yelled at him, lingered in his mind.

Zeke was still lost in thought as Kyo walked past his table. She hadn't noticed him at all as she claimed the table close to the windows for the group. As soon as she walked by, Zeke snapped out of his trance and his eyes followed her to her table. He became focused on the fact that she had blue tips at the ends of her black hair. He blinked to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating or anything since he had never seen anyone do something like that. Not that he ever paid attention to stuff like that.

Kyo began eating her lunch as she waited impatiently for Virgil and Charlie to show up. Virgil was in the lunch line and Charlie was paying for his. She took a bite of her rice ball she made yesterday and could feel a pair of eyes on her. And oh, did she need to guess who? Kyo looked up to see Zeke staring at her, wide-eyed and almost like a deer caught in headlights. For not once did he blink his gray-blue eyes as he kept staring at her. She folded her arms and glared at him. If he wanted a staring contest, he was getting one.

Meanwhile Zeke could hardly ignore the quick beating of his heart as Kyo glared at him. He didn't know why but something about her eyes and that sharpness to them when enraged was, God, tempting. It was as if they were taunting him to challenge her in some form. He felt his cheeks grow hot and he put down his soda. He could hardly pull his gaze away from hers.

"Hey Kyo," piped up Virgil as he took a seat next to her. Charlie walked up with his tray and he took one look at Kyo, then looked at Virgil. Kyo was not paying any attention to anything that Virgil had just said. Virgil cleared his throat in an attempt to get Kyo's attention but it failed.

Charlie took a seat at the table and shook his head. "Forget it Virg, she's not listening to you," he announced as he ripped open his bag of chips, "She's looking at someone and she seems to be in dead concentration."

"I can still hear you guys," Kyo replied, eyes still glaring at Zeke, "Mr. I'm-So-Cool-Because-I-Ride-a-Motorcycle-Zeke decided to turn lunch into a staring moment." Charlie groaned and hit his head on the table at those words. Virgil closed his eyes and secretly wished that this wasn't happening. As he opened his eyes slowly, the sight he saw wasn't as bad as he thought it was. Actually, to the contrary, Zeke wasn't glaring back viciously but rather longingly and almost dazed. Virgil shook himself a little to make sure he was seeing this scenario correctly. Zeke was staring at Kyo almost like a lost puppy dog. Whoa.

Charlie continued to bang his head on the table as Chester and his nerd pals came up. "Hey guys!" chirped Chester as he took his usual seat, "What's new? And uh, Charlie are you okay?"

Virgil cleared his throat again before sharply calling out, "Charlie! Cool it man! Zeke's not glaring at Kyo, he's looking at her like he's in a stupor." Charlie raised his head from the table and looked over at Zeke. His jaw dropped in shock at the sight. No way, this couldn't have been the toughie biker rebel that wanted to kill them for yelling at him!

"I must be having a funky dream," muttered Charlie as he blinked a few times. Virgil shook his head no and confirmed that it was for real.

Zeke became so caught up in staring at Kyo that he didn't realize that two girls were standing near him. One of them waved her hand in his face and he snapped out of his daze. The other girl shyly asked, "You're kinda anti-social, creepy, and yet so cool. Can we sit with you?" Zeke blinked before processing what had just been said to him. Were people really asking to sit with him? Or was it a silly dream?

"Oh, uh sure," Zeke replied, caught off guard, "Here take a seat." The girls looked at each other and squealed excitedly as Zeke made room for them.

"Hey the biker kid surrendered," commented Kyo lazily, "Guess that means I win the staring game."

As the two girls chatted with each other, Zeke went back to staring at Kyo. Even though these girls seemed pretty nice, he couldn't help but feel lonely still. He didn't want them to be with him. He wanted her to be sitting next to him, making small talk about being herself and not a clone of the other girls. Her dark hair with the weird blue ends. Those sharp, vicious, yet haunting, amber brown eyes looking straight back at him. One of the girls said something to him and he quickly snapped back to reality.

"Uh, sorry about that," he apologized politely, "I'm out of it today. Guess its good that the weekend is here." The girl accepted his apology and she turned back to her friend. Zeke meanwhile, had an idea. If he wanted her to be sitting with him, well, shouldn't he ask her? It was worth a shot. He stood up slowly and politely excused himself.

"I'll be back in a bit," he called over his shoulder to his tablemates. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply then strode over toward Kyo's table.

"Uh oh," muttered Kyo as she watched Zeke approach the table, "Looks like Mr. Smooth is back for round 2. This is where I take my exit stage left and get the heck out of here." She rose from the table and grabbed her messenger bag as she speed walked to the lunch room doors.

Virgil grimaced as Zeke approached their table only to find that Kyo was gone. He opened his mouth for the first time since their encounter and asked, "Hey you, do you happen to know where she was headed?" Virgil shrugged at him and muttered that he didn't know. Charlie played along with Virgil's tactic and claimed the same tale. Chester, since he didn't even know Zeke, cheerful pointed to the lunch doors, thinking that he was doing Zeke a favor. Zeke thanked him and took off for the hallways.

"Way to go Chester," grumbled Charlie as he gnawed off the corner of his sandwich. Virgil held his head in his hands and prayed that a fight wouldn't break out. Not that Zeke would ever dream of attacking Kyo because she was a girl, but she might if she had the nerve to do so.

Zeke thrust open the lunch room doors and strode out into the hallway. Kyo was nowhere to be found. His shoulders slumped and he slunk off to the boys room. In frustration, he threw himself against the wall of the bathroom nearest to the door and groaned. Never before in his life did he feel his heart beat incredibly fast or his face burn as hot as the welding sparks from the soldering gun he used in Shop Class. He pressed a hand to his pounding heart and found himself having a hard time breathing. Only did he realize what this set of feelings were: he was in love. He, Zeke Thompson was in love with the glaring-eyed Asian girl.


	5. Chapter 4: You've Got Yourself a Deal

Chapter 4: You've Got Yourself a Deal

Even though Kyo and Zeke now knew each other, Kyo still had no idea that Zeke was her so-called twin. Oh she had remembered Charlie's comment from her first day at school but she had assumed that it was some other kid, preferably Derek, captain of the football team. Because the hair-do seemed like that of a biker's, she assumed that he must have been the "twin." Whatever, better to avoid him since she didn't feel like talking to a "twin."

Charlie had, in the mean time, had pulled together his idea of time travel. No one else but Virgil, Kyo, and Charlie knew about the device. While he may have had the all the equations and plans in hand, Charlie was missing one element: a talented mechanic to make their machine. Virgil had taken the responsibility upon himself to scout out the perfect guy for the situation in return for choosing their first mission. He had hemmed and hawed over the person until he saw Zeke shoot by on his motorcycle after school. It was perfect.

Virgil and Charlie invited Zeke over to Virgil's house in order to get him to consider the idea of helping them. He dared not invite Kyo in case of Zeke going completely off track and further annoying her.

Zeke's brow furrowed as he studied the plans and chewed on his pen cap. Virgil tensed up as he watched this super-tall freak do so. He wondered if anyone had ever gotten rabies from Zeke in the case that he was ticked off and bit someone in retaliation. Charlie's cat, Albert Felinestein eyed Zeke suspiciously as Zeke looked up from the plans.

"Your cat," began Zeke as he looked back fiercely, "Is freaking me out." Virgil had been so nervous as to what they would do if Zeke said no, that he nearly jumped out of his seat after Zeke had spoke.

"Uh yeah," mumbled Virgil, "He's not my cat-he's Charlie's." Charlie happily piped up that he named his cat Albert Felinestein.

"That has to be the dumbest name that I have ever heard," Zeke flatly replied. Charlie's happy expression deflated and Virgil tried to save the group from awkward silence by calling Zeke, Zekester. Bad move. Zeke threw him a vicious glare and Virgil stuttered to make up for his error. Charlie sank back into his chair-he felt so lucky to have not been in Virgil's shoes at the moment.

Zeke pushed the plans away from the table and sat up straighter. "I'll do it," he announced solemnly, "It's a challenge but I'm willing to conquer it." Charlie and Virgil exchanged identical looks before performing their secret handshake.

"Scratch!" hooted Charlie. Virgil corrected him and told him that it was 'Scorch.' Why did he just not get it? Zeke gave them a funny look and folded his arms. The two best friends settled back into their seats and Zeke dug into the bean dip. Charlie attempted to clean up a tiny smear on Zeke's lower lip but the older boy grabbed his wrist and threatened to hurt him. Charlie whimpered as Zeke let go and he shook his sore wrist. Man, did that kid have a strong grip or what?

"Another thing," Zeke spoke up as he reached for another chip, "Your friend, the Asian girl?" Virgil froze and paled slightly as Zeke uttered those words. For a few seconds, he considered playing dumb but that would fail in an instance.

Charlie took over for Virgil as he silently had a meltdown. "Yeah, what about her?" Charlie replied, tried to sound as if it were no big deal, "Why are we bringing her into the conversation?"

Zeke's face reddened slightly and he tried to play it cool without making himself seem vulnerable. "Do you happen to know if she's taken or not?" Charlie sat there dumbstruck. He thought that Zeke was perhaps going to say that he wanted to pick a fight with her after school one day. He shook his head no and Zeke sat up straighter.

Virgil couldn't take it anymore. He finally blurted out, "She's still mad at you." Zeke turned to face Virgil at those words and his shoulders slumped. _Damn it! _Zeke cursed in his mind, _I just want to-ah man. She probably thinks that I have issues and need a shrink of sorts! _As he contemplated with his conscience, Charlie and Virgil watched helplessly as Zeke pounded his fist on his leg and hid his head in his leather gloved hands. Charlie cleared his throat and Zeke snapped back to attention.

He tried to formulate what he wanted to say carefully, without letting the two boys on. "Could you…let me sit with you guys at lunch? Or introduce me to her?" Virgil opened his mouth then shut it. No way would Kyo put up with him at the same table, let alone even converse or interact with him.

"I'm afraid that's-" Virgil began to say but Charlie cut him off briskly, "It's a deal. And you can start sitting with us after we test the first successful mission with the machine." Zeke's face lit up and Virgil looked at Charlie like he was crazy.

"You guys won't regret this," Zeke assured the boys as he boarded his motorcycle out in the driveway. As soon as he was out of earshot, Virgil turned on Charlie.

"Are you insane?" Virgil yelled at Charlie as he threw his hands in the air, "Kyo is not going to like this. She might even kill us for allowing this to happen!"

"He's the only one that can do it!" Charlie shot back, "I wasn't planning on handing over time with Kyo quickly. We'll stall for a bit until we can think of a better plan."

"She isn't property," cried out Virgil, "She's our friend you know."

"I'm well aware of that!" snapped Charlie, "If we said no, he could have just walked right out and refused to help us. Think about it Virgil."

Virgil opened his mouth to protest then closed it. He knew Charlie was right. Zeke would take on this project solely based on his own time and matters instead of being paid to do so. Not mention that mechanics were expensive to hire. "You better know what you've got us into," warned Virgil.

Charlie shook him off and reassured him that it was all going to be good. What could possibly go wrong?


	6. Chapter 5: Too Much Alike

Note: Obviously Zeke's fan girls were nameless in the movie. I just made up names that seemed to fit how they looked.

Yeah and I have been skimming the selection of Minutemen fan fiction. The little pairing of Zeke x Virgil conjured up a little snippet of Jessica Simpson's song 'I Think I'm in Love' after reading _Forty Eight Hours _by Brunette Believer. I drew a picture inspired by the song thought. I typically don't read same gender pairings but this one sounded cute.

Chapter 5: Too Much Alike

It took nearly 2 months to complete construction of the machine. Just as Charlie told Virgil, he made sure that Zeke held to the deal, word for word. After Albert Felinestein became the first time traveler, Charlie had insisted that it wasn't officially their first mission. Zeke didn't complain though as he continued to sit apart from the boys and Kyo at lunch.

Virgil had casually mentioned that they were finished making the machine to Kyo, skipping the fact that Zeke helped make it. Charlie kept mum about the deal he made with Zeke regarding Kyo. Telling her would only infuriate her. Heck, she didn't even know that Zeke was involved period.

The girls, as Zeke found out their names were Tisha and Dana, continued to eat lunch with him every day. Not that their conversation was any good with him. Most of the time he was so caught up in his own thoughts, mainly the time machine, that he didn't even notice them. When a response was needed, he would smoothly agree or reassure one of them on their opinion. Dana once mentioned that he was sweet which he shook off modestly. As the days flew by, Zeke counted down to the moment that he would join Kyo at her table and be able to talk to her.

He had some doubt in Virgil's crazy scheme of winning the lottery though. It sounded genius but it also looked like everything could go wrong. Just as he had predicted, the scheme ended miserably. Instead of 3 young boys winning the lottery, the weirdo dressed as a robot won. Virgil contemplated the possibility of trying again but Charlie and Zeke voted against the idea.

"I just don't get it," sighed Virgil as he threw his hands up in the air. It was two days after the failed attempt of their first mission. Because the first mission was a dud, Charlie insisted that Zeke wait one more mission until he could sit with them. Zeke had slumped his shoulders at that and agreed reluctantly.

"Virg," Charlie piped up as his friend kept running over the facts, "Its okay. We'll find something else to do with the machine." Kyo comforted Virgil about the failed attempt while Charlie skimmed the lunch room for Chester, who was late. His eyes fell upon the sight of the troublemaking skater punks holding up Chester's clothes and laughing over their plan to humiliate him. Sure enough, Chester, with only a towel around his waist came jogging up the stairs and yelled at the punks to give him his clothes back. Charlie watched the scene intently and a light bulb went off in his head. He turned to face Virgil and brightly remarked, "I think I have an idea for how we can use the machine…"

"Oh man! Not now, not now!" cried out an anxious Chester as he opened his locker only to discover that his clothes were missing. Under the form-fitting white snow suit that Jeanette had given him, Charlie tapped Chester on the shoulder and told him not to worry. Zeke handed him a laundry bag full of cool, hip-hop clothes and Chester in a daze, took them.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes they're gone," gloated one of the skater punks to his friends. He turned his gaze back to the staircase only to see a more fashionably dressed Chester emerge from the lockers, looking quite happy.

"You can keep those," he calmly told the punk before walking off to get his lunch. Kyo passed by Chester and took a double take at his get-up.

"Nice outfit Chester," she commented casually. Chester beamed and kept walking to get his lunch.

The next day found Charlie and Virgil telling Kyo what their new vision was for the machine. "So you guys helped Chester back there?" she mused as she unwrapped her lunch of spicy chicken wraps, "Nice touch there. I approve of the new meaning to this time travel." Virgil smiled and Charlie puffed himself up proudly at the words. Soon Charlie's proud expression dropped to one of shyness as Jeanette joined them. Kyo shook her head at Charlie as he struggled to say something to Jeanette that was anything but lame. It was pretty obvious that he liked her, a lot.

Virgil spotted Zeke talking to 2 girls before walking over to their table. He gulped nervously and began wolfing down his sandwich. Kyo was taking a bite of her wrap when she noticed Zeke coming their way. She almost choked on the bite she was eating. _You have to be kidding me_, she thought as he approached their table.

"Hi guys," he announced a bit nervously, "Since the mission worked out, our deal is complete." Charlie could feel the pit of his stomach sink at those words and he looked into Kyo's demanding expression from across the table.

"Whoops," muttered Charlie under his breath, "The twins meet…again."

Kyo blinked as she digested Charlie's comment. _Wait a second, that stupid football geek wasn't my so-called twin_, she thought with a sick feeling, _it's the biker hypocrite! _"He's my twin you've been talking about?!" demanded Kyo as she glared Charlie down, "What's this talk about a deal? And who decided to let him join this table?"

A puzzled Zeke watched as Charlie mumbled that he must have forgotten to mention the deal to Kyo. The details of the deal only made Kyo even angrier.

"And I had to factor into this mess," she angrily answered, "What sucks even more is that you didn't have the guts to tell me! Guess that means I can't be trusted."

"Hey Kyo that's not true," Virgil began as she stood up to leave, "Charlie meant to tell you but he just assumed that you-"

"Thanks for assuming too," Kyo sourly replied as she gathered her stuff to leave, "I can't be trusted and I'm easy to read. What a combination!" In a huff, she stormed out into the halls and Virgil hit his head on the table. _Way to go Charlie, your plan worked!_

Zeke stood up and walked over to the doors. Jeanette comforted Charlie about what had just happened and Virgil watched Zeke leave.

"Kyo!" hollered Zeke as he caught up to her, "Hey! Cool it all right? Look I'm sorry that Charlie didn't say anything but I didn't mean to have you get upset."

Kyo whipped around to face him and coldly asked him, "Why did you want to even sit with us?" Zeke felt a huge lump in his throat form and he struggled to find the right words to say without giving it away.

"Because, because," he trailed off as he tried to think about it. He gazed brokenly at her and all he received in return were a pair of fiery brown eyes looking back.

"Why don't you re-think your reason for joining us and just go back to sitting with your fan club," she retorted irritably, "Seems like you did much better with them. They actually were dumb enough to fall under your little spell. You think its going to work on me? Think again." Kyo left Zeke standing in the middle of the hallway, the scent of jade rainwater lingering in the air. Zeke closed his eyes and breathed in that sweetness. It seemed to have a slight sharpness to it and yet it was soothing. As he opened his eyes again, a new spark ignited within them. If she was going to be tough to get, he would chase her down until he got her.


	7. Chapter 6: How to ConnectI Think

Chapter 6: How to Connect…I Think…

Zeke wove his way past his classmates to get into the lunch room. He was well aware of the fact that Kyo had a nearby class just like he did, so obviously, they would be alone, for a few minutes. Her comment from yesterday rang clear in his mind and it only fueled him more. Today, Zeke was determined to get her to crack, even a little. He took a seat at the usual table and put down his lunch bag.

Kyo made her way over to the table only to see Zeke sitting at. She paused and sighed deeply in annoyance. Part of her wanted to ditch Zeke and see how long it took him to realize that she was avoiding him and the other part wanted to ask what he was still doing at the Geek table. Tough call. She finally made up her mind and cringed as she walked straight up to the table. Zeke was reading the latest issue of Motor World as she came up to the table. Kyo cleared her throat to get his attention and he looked up from reading about the newest engine.

Zeke's pale, steel-blue eyes gazed directly at Kyo as he closed the magazine. She found it difficult to break her gaze with his since as his eyes were an interesting shade of blue. Never had she seen anything like it before in her life. Now her friend Riley had sky blue eyes and dark hair like Zeke's but her eyes were so generic. _I thought his eyes were black, _she thought as she blinked. When they got into the staring match that Friday, his eyes looked darker since they were farther away.

"I thought you were going back to your fan club back there," Kyo dryly noted as she took a seat across from him. No way would she sit anywhere close to him. Zeke pushed his lunch away and folded his arms.

"Afraid not," he replied coolly, "I had a deal with Charlie and Virgil and I hate breaking deals." He leaned back in his seat and studied Kyo's expression which hadn't changed a bit. He knew that this was going to be challenging but if she wanted to put up barriers, he wasn't going to let them stop him.

A long silence swept through their table and both loners looked straight at each other. Kyo finally broke the elongated silence between them. "So Loner," she began, "How do you like hanging with the geeks?"

"It's different from being alone," he commented thoughtfully, "Not that I thought that you would classify yourself as a geek." Kyo shrugged at him and replied that she preferred being a geek than being in the limelight. That he could relate to. It was his turn to ask her the burning question he wanted to know.

"So this whole blue ends thing," he noted as he gestured to the numerous blue dyed ends of Kyo's side ponytail, "Where did that come from?"

"This is the result of me having zippo to do over the summer," she replied in a straightforward manner, "My friend was off being a girl in France and I had nothing better to do." Kyo scrunched up her nose at the memory of that miserable summer. Riley was slowly embracing the feminine side of her, something that her mother had wanted her to do for several years. Since Riley was dating and wearing more girly clothes, her mom took her to France for the summer. Once she got back, Riley gave Kyo this filmy tank top from an upcoming designer, hoping to have the girly girl rub off on Kyo. Not a chance. Kyo ended up adding a plain cotton tank for underneath the top, adding straps, and sewing skull embroidery on it. The result? A punk-meets-France top. Riley had a fit when she found out what Kyo did to her gift but in the end, she did appreciate the fact that Kyo had worn it at least.

A small grin tugged at Zeke's lips as he heard Kyo's response. "Hmmm," he mused, "And you have issues with being a girl?"

"Yes, I do in some ways," Kyo mildly replied, "Why? What's it worth to you?" Her response was quick and slightly clipped. The question had caught her off guard and it seemed so unexpected from him. And why was he smiling at her comment?

Zeke shrugged his shoulders before sipping his soda. The awkward silence settled in again and both wondered where Charlie and Virgil were at that moment. Kyo knew that Chester had ditched them for good ever since he became Mr. Fashionable thanks to the Minutemen. Charlie and Jeanette at that moment were eating outside and Virgil was making up a test. _Thanks guys, _she thought, _I just forgave you guys last night over the phone and now you guys ditched me. Joy. _The sound of Zeke clearing his throat snapped her out of her reverie.

"Where are you from?" he asked quickly as he tried to save them from the silence. Kyo bit into her lunch and didn't answer right away. Zeke felt nervous since he was asking most of the questions and she was giving guarded answers. Was he asking the wrong questions?

Kyo swallowed her lunch and apologized for the delayed response. "I used to live in Santa Monica, California." She blinked a little as she noticed how uneasy Zeke was looking before she answered. An unsure look haunted his steel-blue eyes. "Okay biker kid, I have a question for you," she began calmly, "Who has blue eyes in your family?"

Her question had eased the tension in his chest and he let out a deep breath. In was a step in the right direction. "Uh," he stalled as he pondered her question, "I think my grandma did and maybe my mom's sister. None of my parents have blue eyes." Odd. Why was she asking about his eyes? Zeke's eyes flickered into a look of curiosity and Kyo quickly spoke up.

"It's an unusual color of blue you have," she explained, "I haven't met anyone with steel-blue eyes. It reminds me of a piece of metal, maybe a piece of polished chrome." He looked straight into her amber eyes before blushing slightly and eating his sandwich. Was that a compliment? Her tone wasn't hostile or defensive, just normal like how she was around Virgil and Charlie. More color flooded his cheeks as he thought about it. If it was a compliment, then it was his first. And it was coming from her.

"It is a good thing," she confirmed his theory, "You ended up being lucky." Okay, so maybe she didn't say the word 'compliment' but it sure sounded like one.

"Thank you," he answered simply. That was all. No tricks, no smooth tone, just a casual, simple thank you.

Kyo leaned back in her seat and lazily commented, "Hey, the biker kid lost the whole 'I'm-So-Smooth' tone. It must be an off day. Lucky me."

Zeke's eyes sharpened a little after her comment and a playful grin spread across his face. "Oh why did you miss it all of a sudden?" he joked back, "Because I can always go back to using it, just for you."

"No, no," she added quickly, "It's good this way. For some reason, people with that talking tone annoy me big time. You sound like a player when you do use that tone." He sat up a little straighter and smiled. It was some progress and at least she didn't attack him with a spork from the cafeteria. The sound of the bell broke the moment and both of them scrambled to get their stuff together.

"Later biker kid," Kyo told him as she walked out of the lunch room. As she walked away, Zeke felt his heart leap and flip 20 times at least. He tried to pull himself together as he ran to his next class but could still hear that very beating of his heart.


	8. Author's Note

A Little Note From Me…

A Little Note From Me…

To those who have faved the story, commented, or even went as far as to mark me as a favorite author, thank you so much for your support!

I promise a new chapter will be up soon! I'm writing it currently so don't worry-it isn't being scrapped. Maybe I'll try to write and post 2? Well no guarantees but we'll see.

Check out the art stuff I did based on the story.

A Japanese style and format mini comic of a lunch time with the two: mewpearl./art/A-Typical-Lunch-Time-78461340 (There are numbers in the corners to tell you how to read it)

A pixel doll couple with a mini story to go with it: mewpearl./art/Zeke-s-Dream-79820219


	9. Chapter 7: Hey! Did I Just See

Chapter 7: Hey

Chapter 7: Hey! Did I Just See What I Thought I Saw?

Being dragged to the principal's office by tough-looking, dark-suited Secret Service men in the morning was not exactly how Zeke wanted to start out his day. Charlie sat beside him, quivering and completely ready to crack at any second. Just yesterday, Charlie had dropped the bomb on the entire crew of the Minutemen (plus Kyo) that the final part of the time travel equation had been "borrowed" from 1960 NASA files.

Virgil had started to freak out at the possibility of being arrested. Zeke announced to everyone that if they were placed in the same cell, he snored like a chainsaw. Kyo had whacked Charlie in the head and demanded to know if the so-called boy genius even contemplated the possible consequences before downloading the file.

"I swear I had nothing to do with this," insisted Virgil as 2 Secret Service men carted him into the office, "But I can give you two names. They're-" He cut off his words abruptly as he was forced into a chair beside a scowling Zeke and an irritated Charlie. Way to throw them under the bus, Virgil!

"Rat," muttered Zeke to Virgil before turning to face the scientists standing before them. Virgil shrugged his shoulders and tried to look innocent. Hey, jail was the last place he wanted to spend his life. Luckily, Kyo hadn't been called in with them for questioning-that would have been disastrous.

The two scientists introduced themselves before filling in the boys about what they knew. Could they read minds or were they just really good at tracking information? Everything from the stolen time travel formula piece to the unusual wave motion activity at their town came out into the open. Charlie squirmed in his seat and almost looked ready to start spilling his guts. Behind the cold, icy stare of Zeke, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous too. What if he got thrown into jail and Kyo didn't want to see him again? Both of the panicking Minutemen were startled out of their thoughts by Virgil loudly announcing that the interrogation was a violation of their rights.

"…That's right," Virgil stated firmly as he crossed his arms, "It's stated in the government laws. Look it up for yourself. I learned that in Government and I got a B- to prove it." The scientists blinked at Virgil and the Secret Service men confirmed Virgil's statement. Meaning that they were free to go.

"Whew! That was close!" gasped Charlie as they stumbled out into the halls, "From now on, we've got to be more careful with our missions."

"Nice going back there Virg," Zeke complimented Virgil as he caught up to him. Virgil shrugged his shoulders and said it was nothing. "Can I ask for your advice?" Zeke suddenly became serious and rather quiet.

Virgil froze and turned to face Zeke. He completely tuned out Charlie saying that he was going to go eat his lunch. Did Virgil just hear what he thought he just heard? Zeke Thompson wanted his advice?! "Uh sure," Virgil quickly replied, "What do you need advice on?"

"A girl," Zeke mumbled. Virgil watched as Zeke's face reddened and his eyes suddenly became glued to the ground. It was too clear, all too clear for him to see.

"It's Kyo isn't it?" guessed Virgil as he watched Zeke's face flush even darker, "I can tell."

Was he really that obvious? Zeke touched a hand to his hot cheek and confessed that Virgil was right. "She's, she's completely unexpected. Most of the time I can easily pick up on what a girl is trying to convey to me. But not her, she's a complete surprise and mystery," Zeke softly announced, "I keep wanting to reach out to her and she manages to back away and allow me to chase her."

Virgil smiled as he heard Zeke's confession. "I think she's probably in the Art room right now," Virgil told him as he gave Zeke a slight nudge toward the room, "Just talk to her."

As he approached the door to the Art room, he breathed deeply and tried to keep himself calm. He watched Kyo work intensely on a multi-paneled strip with a fine tipped black pen in her hand. As he watched her his hands gripped around the doorknob and twisted it to open. No one else but Kyo was in the Art room at the time which was strange since the room was always crowded. The squeaking of his boot on the linoleum floor brought Kyo out of her focused trance and she looked up straight into his eyes.

"How long were you standing at the door for?" she asked him as he took the seat next to her. Zeke flushed at her question and stammered that he didn't know that he was that obvious. Kyo shrugged and commented that it was just a question. She turned back to her work and Zeke suddenly noticed that Kyo wasn't tensing up around him. She didn't even try to move her seat away from him. Normally she would have preferred to sit across from Zeke being that she didn't like people being too close to her. But not a sound uttered from her lips. Nothing.

"Do you want me to move?" he asked suddenly out of the blue. Kyo shook her head no and said it was fine.

"I'm really into what I'm doing today so I don't feel like trying to argue with you," she lazily commented, "So you got lucky." Okay so maybe she wasn't going to come out and say that she was getting used to him but her actions were good enough for him. She settled back into a rhythm of outlining her work and casually commented, "I didn't see you or Virgil or Charlie this morning. Were you guys ditching for some reason?"

Zeke shook his head no and slumped down in his seat. "The Secret Service and some scientists pulled us in to interrogate us about the time travel missions-well they didn't know it was for time travel but yeah. Virgil got us out that one in one piece."

"That Charlie," groaned Kyo, "I told him that he should next time think before he leaps. And he never listens. Man some fantastic boy genius he is!"

"Yeah, yeah," Zeke's voice trailed off a bit as he watched her work. But the funny thing was, these characters looked familiar. That one was Chester and for sure that was Virgil due to the messy mop of blonde hair in his eyes. Charlie, Jeanette, and finally Zeke spotted a tall figure that Kyo was outlining at the moment. Dark, messy hair, wild eyes- wait a second…

"Is, is that me?" Zeke asked as he pointed out the figure to Kyo. Chills ran down his spine at the amazing cartoon version of him. Kyo looked up and him and nodded faintly. He blinked at the sketch then summoned up the words to express how he felt. "That's amazing. Does Virg or Charlie know about this yet?"

"No not yet," sighed Kyo as she put her pen down, "It was an idea I just got today. Since you guys starting saving the geeks like Chester and Eugene, I guess you can say that the Minutemen are becoming the new Justice League. The heroes of the geeks, defending geek honor!" He smiled a little at that comment and his heart leapt. _A hero, she saw him as a hero_. Just the thought of that sounded sweet. Maybe this day wasn't so bad after all.

"You definitely should show this to Virg and Charlie soon," Zeke told her, "They'll like it a lot. And I think this might cheer them up after our interrogation this morning."

Kyo turned to face Zeke and returned his smile. "Yeah, I think I will Biker Kid."


	10. Chapter 8: Homecoming Blues and Tension

Wow, its been forever since I posted the last chapter. But I swear it will be completed guys! Trust me!

The Homecoming Dance is broken up into 2 segments.

* * *

Chapter 8: Homecoming Blues and Tension

It had been 2 weeks since the boys had been cornered by the Secret Service men. In the meantime, Virgil had "patched up" his so-called friendship with Derek and Stephanie, ditching Kyo, Charlie, and Zeke for popularity. Lame.

Homecoming was approaching and Charlie miserably sniffled as he watched Virgil whisper something in Stephanie's ear. Probably asking her to the dance, which was a tacky theme of the 50s Sock Hop. Go figure. Stephanie giggled and screeched, "Yes!" to whatever Virgil had said to her. Charlie then groaned and slumped down in his seat. He hated that Virgil was giving into something so stupid, so lame. Popularity. And who cared about it anyways?

"You still feeling glum about Virg ditching us?" remarked Kyo as she plopped down across from Charlie, "Look, Charlie, he'll come around. Soon enough he'll realize that Derek's using him for his own selfish reasons and they'll stop talking to each other. I'm thinking Stephanie's actually glad to catch up with him so yeah." Zeke agreed and patted Charlie on the shoulder.

"You'll get through it man," he told Charlie, "Trust me."

Kyo looked up to see the peppy Jeanette running toward them and remarked, "Well Charlie, I think your day is going to get better." Charlie sat up straighter and gave her a puzzled look.

"Hey guys!" chirped Jeanette as she sat next to Charlie, "Hey there Bluebird why the long face?" Kyo jabbed her thumb over at Virgil and the popular crew. Jeanette looked at them over her shoulder and murmured, "Ohhh that's why. When did he decide to change tables?"

"After he saved Derek's 'precious rep' in the football game," Kyo air quoted dryly, "Like that's going to be the crucial thing to get you to your job in the real world."

Jeanette adjusted her hat and changed the subject. "So Homecoming," she pepped up, "Anyone going?" Charlie reddened and looked down at his lunch tray. Zeke started to read his motorcycle magazine and Kyo's face fell. Jeanette studied the expressions around the table curiously. "I'm guessing that it hasn't been on your minds lately?" she suggested. Charlie shook his head no as he rumpled his hair up.

"All I can think about is what damage we're doing to the sequence of events," he sighed heavily as he crumpled up his milk carton, "I'm gonna run a print out today once I get home."

"So, um Charlie," Jeanette began, "Did anyone ask you to Homecoming yet?" Charlie choked on a mouthful of his sandwich after he heard her question. Zeke stood up and thumped Charlie on the back. Kyo stood up and excused herself.

"This is talk that I'd rather not hear," she apologized, "But Jeanette, a choke means 'No, I'm free and you are a god-send' from Charlie." Charlie had regained consciousness of the current situation and started to protest. But Jeanette had already taken Kyo's words seriously and she threw her arms around Charlie.

As she walked away from the table, Zeke couldn't help but regret that he hadn't spoken up at that moment. To ask her to Homecoming. Yet part of him wanted to ask her in private without Jeanette swooning over the mess.

He cleared his throat to get Charlie's attention. "Uh Charlie?" he started to say, "How does Kyo…feel about dances?"

"She probably hates dances," Charlie noted grimly. He watched Zeke's shoulders sag and his face fall. Jeanette jabbed him in the elbow and gave him a look. "But maybe she might say yes," he added quickly as he rubbed his sore elbow.

Normally on a Friday afternoon, Zeke would hang back in his Shop Class to finish work on the engine or motor he was currently making. Today, he shoved his way past his classmates and walked briskly to her Science classroom. His footsteps felt heavier than usual. A hot rush of blood flooded his cheeks and worries filled him up. _What if she said no? That would hurt big time. _His sweaty hands found themselves shoved down into his pockets.

Kyo's class was still in session when he arrived at her classroom. They were working on a metal burning lab complete with Bunsen burners. Eugene was working alongside Kyo as her lab partner and he edged closer to her. Zeke's lovestruck feelings turned into ones of rage. What was Eugene thinking? Flirting with his crush and getting all close up in her space? He ground his nails into his palm and turned an icy glare on Eugene. He felt ready to ground Eugene into a knuckle sandwich when he heard his name called from behind.

"Zeke! Oh hey its Zeke!" cried out Dana. She looked over her shoulder and shouted at Tisha to hurry up. As they hurried toward him, he plastered a polite smile on his face. He nodded at both girls and turned to face them.

"Perfect timing!" chirped Tisha, "We were just looking for you. I know this is rather last minute but Dana and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us to the dance." After they said those words, Zeke froze and stopped breathing. _Uh-oh. He had completely forgotten about them. He didn't want to hurt their feelings but spending time with them wasn't what he had in mind. _

"Um uh," he stalled as he leaned casually against the wall, "Wow. Thanks guys, that was really nice of you to think of me." He swallowed hard and tried to think of a kind, gentle way to turn them down. "But see, I kind of wanted, well…" While Zeke struggled with his words, Eugene and Kyo walked out of the classroom.

* * *

"Come on already!" Eugene protested, "I'm free, you're free. You're cute and-"

"Exactly my point," Kyo firmly replied, "You and I barely know each other. So what's the point of going to the dance anyways?"

He licked his lips nervously and offered, "But we can get to know each other. Come on why can't you just-"

"This discussion is over, Eugene," she confirmed stiffly, "I don't want to hear anymore about it." While arguing with Eugene, she had overheard Zeke

* * *

's weak attempt to turn down Tisha and Dana. So far, words were failing him. If he was going to turn them down, why bother even trying to ask?

* * *

Tisha and Dana spotted Kyo and waved brightly at her. Zeke felt sick as he turned to see Kyo standing behind him. Her arms were folded and her lips were pressed into a line. She broke her stance to wave back at the girls but quickly resumed her position.

"Thompson," she began, "Have fun at Homecoming with these two. Stay out of trouble, okay?" She turned to start walking down the hall when Zeke's words beckoned her back.

"You aren't going?" he asked as lumps formed in his throat.

She shook her head no and shrugged. "Why bother?" she uttered before turning to leave. She passed Eugene who had been watching the entire drama unfold. He opened his mouth to offer again but she cut him off with, "You can still forget it Eugene. Dances are stupid wastes of my time." A crushed Zeke watched as Kyo disappeared around the corner without looking back. As she walked away, his heart broke in two. Part of the pain was a crushing blow to him. It felt like eating a meatball sub and getting cramps afterward, only worse.

"Zeke!" called out Dana, "You should go with Kyo if it means more to you."

"Yeah!" blurted Tisha, "We'll be fine, honestly! You should do what makes you happy. Whatever makes you happy, makes us happy."

Zeke turned around to face them and tried to suck it up. He smiled brokenly and bravely replied, "Ladies, it would be an honor to escort you both to Homecoming."

* * *

By the way, the Eugene stuff was made up on the fly.


	11. Chapter 9: Down the Black Hole

Chapter 9: Down the Black Hole

Chapter 9: Down the Black Hole

"Hey! I see Zeke!" chirped Jeanette. She clutched Charlie's hand as they worked their way in the sea of people toward Zeke. She waved wildly at him and Zeke gloomily waved back. Charlie frowned and knew something was up. To see Zeke this depressed didn't seem right.

"Where's Kyo?" asked Charlie as he arrived at the table, "Please don't tell me that she stood you up."

"No Charlie," he sighed, "She never wanted to go period. Eugene tried to ask her out and she flat out rejected him. And not very gently mind you." Charlie gazed at him, stunned while Jeanette patted his shoulder. "Well it's not the entire reason why she isn't here," Zeke added, "Tisha and Dana, those girls I used to hang with? They asked me to the dance and Kyo saw the whole thing."

"Awww," Jeanette declared sympathetically, "Zeke, I'm sorry. I think she came at the wrong time and saw only part of the story."

"Did you say yes to them in front of her?" asked Charlie.

Zeke shook his head no. "Charlie, man, I stood there like an idiot and tried to turn them down nicely. The words weren't coming to me."

Jeanette slowly suggested, "Then maybe she thought you would reject her if she asked. You were trying to turn them down so there."

Zeke slammed his fist on the table and moaned. "I'm so stupid! I can't do anything right when I'm with her!" Charlie cajoled him to calm down and Zeke breathed deeply before speaking again. "Actually, now that I think of it, where did Tisha and Dana go?"

Tisha and Dana were outside at that very moment, waiting for her to show up. Dana had sweetly called Kyo and persuaded her come right away.

"Forget it Dana," Kyo flatly told her, "Zeke is with you two. He wouldn't have said yes to me. Besides dances are lame, especially themed ones."

"Please, please!" begged Dana. She looked over her shoulder as Tisha gave her a thumbs up from the ticket stand. She turned around and continued to talk into her cell phone. "Zeke is depressed. He looks really sad that you aren't here. He's been sitting at a table all night. And Tisha did some sweet talking to let you come in without buying a ticket. Please?" Dana held her breath as she heard Kyo sigh into the mouthpiece. Then she heard the clinking of hangers from a closet.

"Looks like my biker jacket will be coming out of the closet tonight," Kyo remarked. Dana squealed into the mouthpiece and Kyo hung up.

Charlie leaned in and whispered fiercely, "Zeke I ran the scan last night and we have bad news. Instead of the separate time portals collapsing for good, they have been combining together to make a big one."

Zeke froze and stopped breathing. Charlie was capable of being complex in his words but this time, it was as clear as crystal. "Oh man," he gasped, "So you're saying that-"

"We've created a black hole!" Charlie cut him off fearfully, "And we have less than 4 hours until the end of the world!"

"Hang on a sec," Zeke replied, "Does Virgil even know about this?" Charlie shook his head no and suddenly stood up when he spotted Virgil leaving with Derek. He stood up and ran after them, probably to warn Virgil about the dangers of opening yet another time portal. Zeke stood up too but Tisha and Dana scurried up to him in a flash, blocking Charlie and Virgil from view.

"We have a surprise for you," Tisha coyly announced. Zeke's eyes blinked in surprise and his eyebrows rose up. Dana motioned for someone to come over and Kyo emerged from the crowd. Zeke's eyes widened even more and his face broke out into a smile. Tisha and Dana studied their handiwork before excusing themselves again.

Zeke studied Kyo and murmured, "Now I thought I was the only one who could pull off the biker jacket but I just found out that a cute girl could make it look even better."

Kyo rolled her eyes at his corny line. Lame. So incredibly lame. "Okay Thompson," she began, "Please cut the corny pickup lines and dance with me."

"But it wasn't a pickup line," he confessed as he took her hand, "I really meant it." Kyo studied him carefully then looked down at him hand.

"Your palm is sweaty," she remarked before looking up at him. A hot rush of blood flooded his pale skin at her remark. _I can't help it, _he thought. He took a few deep breaths and tried to shake off his nerves. It was time to come clean.

"Kyo?" he began shyly, "I, I have something to tell you." Kyo leaned in closer to listen in when Charlie grabbed Zeke and Kyo out of the blue.

"We've got to get down to the launch room!" Charlie hurriedly announced, "Kyo, I told Zeke this but-"

"The time travel created a black hole!" Zeke filled in quickly, "And we could be dead in a few hours."

Kyo blinked in shock as she hurried along. "Okay Super Genius, I have a question for you. How are you going to stop the black hole?"

Charlie turned around and stopped short of the door to the launch room, "Well, it's a far-fetched idea but, all of the Minutemen should jump into the hole. If we manage to get back safely, we'll seal off the portal on the other side." Zeke gaped at him and Kyo mumbled that she forgot something. She let go of Charlie's gripped hand and ran off down the hallway.

"Kyo!" yelled Zeke, "Wait! Where are you going?" He started to go after her but Charlie stubbornly refused to budge. He tugged on Zeke's arm and dragged him inside the launch room. Much chaotic activity encased the room. Charlie ran up the FBI head to tell them his far-fetched plan. Virgil then insisted that he should go alone since it was his fault for getting them into this mess. Zeke watched as Charlie and Virgil bickered about who was going and bent down to grab something.

"All right boys!" snapped the FBI agent, "You will both go!"

Zeke licked his lips nervously before answering, "They'll need me too, sir. Me and my hook." Charlie and Virgil whirled around to see Zeke saying that he had to go too. Virgil smiled brightly at him and Charlie looked relieved. Zeke smiled too before grabbing his snowsuit and striding over to a private corner to change. As he pulled his beloved biker jacket off, he looked at it in his hands. _Kyo. _He knew that he had so much unfinished business with her. He hadn't been able to hold her in his arms and smell the sweetness of her hair. He hadn't been able to bend down and kiss her soft pink-red lips. Geez, he hadn't been able to tell her how he felt about her. _And she ran off, _he thought grimly as he zipped up his suit, _I might not ever see her again. Not even to say good-bye. _

Screams and cheers filled the halls of the school as the boys walked toward the front of the school. Girls nearly fainted as they saw them while boys clapped them on the backs and told them good luck. Jeanette emerged from the crowd and ran up to them.

"Charlie!" she blurted out as she swooped down on him, "Please come back in one piece okay?" She leaned in quickly and kissed him on the lips. Charlie staggered back in shock and Jeanette guiltily smiled at him. Zeke nudged him and reminded him that it was time to go.

"Charlie, come on man!" Zeke yelled at him. Charlie was too much in a daze to have even heard a word of what Zeke had even said. Finally Zeke took charge, picked up Charlie, and swung him over his shoulder. He only got a few feet when Kyo came up with a portfolio folder in her hand.

"Sorry for ditching you guys back there," Kyo apologized, "This is what I needed to get. You know obviously what it is, right?" Zeke smiled at her and accepted the folder. He knew what it was. And for her to give that to him, it made him feel good. He tucked it away under his snowsuit before greeting her with a thank you.

"Look," he began lamely, "I think we both know that I might not make it back. But I wanted to let you know-" Kyo had wrapped her arms around him and Charlie to give him a hug. Zeke blushed and clumsily wrapped his arms around her petite form. Well, she didn't know how he felt but at least he accomplished one thing he wanted: to hold her and smell her sweetness. He savored the familiar smell of jade rainwater and sighed, knowing this may be the last time he would ever smell this scent again.

"Guys!" hollered Charlie over Zeke's shoulder, "Hate to ruin the sweet moment here but the world is going to perish if we don't hurry up!" Kyo let go and laughed a little at Charlie. Zeke didn't want to let her go but he knew that Charlie was right.

"You guys take care," she told them, "Zeke, take it easy on yourself." As he hauled Charlie down the hall, her comment rung in his ears. He shook himself to make sure that he wasn't hearing things. She said his name. Not his last name, not 'Biker Kid,' not Mr. Smooth, but Zeke. He put Charlie down as they made it outside and caught up with Virgil as he bid Stephanie good-bye. Chants of "Minutemen! Minutemen! Minutemen!" filled the air as the boys walked closer to the hole.

"They finally got it right," remarked Virgil as he started to pull his hood on. Charlie put his on and Zeke followed in suit. They stared down into the hole before rushing forward and jumping in. Icy cold blasts whipped across their faces as they traveled down, down, down. Zeke felt dizzy and closed his eyes beneath his goggles, Kyo's smile engrained in his mind as he fell.


	12. Chapter 10: Start All Over

Sorry for the wait

Hey guys! Sorry it's taken so long to write up the final chapter. I've been traveling, at Band Camp, and getting back into the swing of school.

For good reasons, I'm skipping the chapter about Virgil trying to change his past as a loser.

Chapter 10: Start All Over

"Auuuuuugggh!" screamed Charlie as the vortex spit him out onto the football field. Virgil fell next to him and Zeke belly flopped last. Charlie looked around him in amazement while Zeke bellowed loudly, "That. Is. It! No more time travel!" Virgil couldn't have agreed much more with him-he wanted to put all of this time travel nonsense behind him.

"What happened to the accelerator cart?" Charlie pondered out loud. He question was answered as the smoke cleared and a tire rolled by the group. "Aww man," moaned Charlie, "All those years of hard work-" "Gentlemen!" barked a voice from behind. The boys turned to see Coach Willis scowling at them.

"Do you think this is sitting time?" he darkly asked the group. They shook their heads no and Coach Willis yelled, "Well then start running men! Go on, go!"

"So what day are we on anyways?" asked Virgil as they made their way to the library.

Charlie pondered the question for a while. "Well I'm thinking it's probably the day we tried to win the lottery. Principal Tolken didn't associate us with the whole Snowsuit thing or try to chase us. No one even acknowledged us." Virgil nodded. It made sense since everyone they had passed had been snorting over their get-up.

Jeanette spotted Charlie and zeroed in on him while Virgil strolled off to go find Stephanie. "Hey there cockatoo!" chirped Jeanette, "Wow, you look like a superhero!" Charlie modestly thanked her before pulling her into a kiss. Zeke leaned in and started tugging Charlie away.

"Charlie!" he hissed at the boy, "Charlie! The scene in the hallway hasn't happened yet!" Charlie reddened as Jeanette looked at him curiously before walking away.

"Wait Jeanette!" he yelled, "I, I can explain! Really!" As she walked away, Jeanette smiled quietly to herself. Charlie hit his head and Zeke reassured him that it was okay. Zeke started to fold his arms when he felt the stiff portfolio of Kyo's comics under his snowsuit. He unzipped the top half and removed the comics anxiously. To his surprise, they had been completely unharmed despite the fact that they had been exposed to extreme temperatures inside a time vortex.

"What's that?" asked Charlie as he watched Zeke flip through the comics, "Did Kyo draw those?" Zeke nodded feebly and continued to stare blankly at the pages. Charlie cleared his throat and added, "You know, you could just go find her and talk to her. She is alive you know."

Zeke closed the portfolio and straightened up. "Yeah, you know what? I will." He started down the hallway when a light bulb went off in his head. "Hey Charlie," he began slowly, "Can you do me a favor?"

Kyo was putting books into her messenger bag when Zeke found her. His throat was parched and dry. His hands felt sweaty and shaky. He took a deep breath before calling out, "Hey! Kyo!" She whipped around and her curious expression turned into one of sullenness.

"It's Mr. Cool-Motorcycle-Dude," she answered dryly, "What do you want anyways?" Whoops. Zeke had completely forgotten that Kyo still hated him after the whole bike accident. She hadn't forgiven him until he sat with their group a few times.

He held up his hands and sheepishly began, "Look, I wanted to apologize for almost running you over with my motorcycle. I wasn't looking where I was going and I was being careless." Kyo's face softened and she studied him carefully.

"You mean it?" she asked him curiously. He nodded and she smiled a little. "Okay then. We're cool then. Just one question to ask you." _Here it comes_, thought Zeke.

"What's with the white snowsuit?" Kyo asked him, "Last time I saw you, you were wearing leather and black."

Zeke released his breath he had been holding and sighed. "Um, it's a long story," he confessed, "It involves time travel and crazy boy geniuses but you wouldn't believe me." Kyo lifted an eyebrow curiously and shook her head.

"Sounds like a superhero comic to me," commented Kyo, "Funny, it sounds familiar though…" Zeke quickly handed her the sketches as she pondered. She flipped through them and her eyes popped open. "This looks like my work," she mused out loud, "How funny. It's almost exactly just the way you described your reason for the snowsuit."

"Well it is your idea," Zeke quickly added, "You dropped this and I've been looking for you so I could return it to you." Kyo stopped flipping and looked up at him. She smiled at him and thanked him for returning it to him.

"Maybe I can expand on it," she contemplated out loud, "Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Zeke smiled coyly as that was what he had been waiting to hear.

"Well, you could make my day by riding on my motorcycle with me over to the burger joint for a milkshake," he slowly suggested. His eyes studied her face and Kyo looked away. Was she blushing or was he just imagining things?

"Sorry, I have my bike here at school so I really can't today," she began as they walked toward the bike racks. Zeke smirked as he saw that her bike was gone. Charlie had kept his word. For once, the young smart genius wasn't so bad after all. "Maybe some other time…" she trailed off as she saw that her bike was gone. Kyo froze and started examining the other bikes anxiously for hers. "You can't be serious!" she growled as she kicked the rack, "My bike gets jacked today of all days! Fantastic!" Zeke hid his smile as he walked over to his motorcycle, placed his helmet on his head, and offered the extra one to Kyo.

"Please?" Zeke asked her as she blinked at him. He gave her a pleading look and she reluctantly took the extra helmet from his gloved hand.

"You sure you don't want to hold on?" Zeke shouted over his shoulder as they stopped at a red light. Kyo had refused to hold onto his waist at all and clutched onto her seat instead. She shook her head no fiercely and reddened under her helmet. Zeke shrugged and hollered, "Okay then. Don't say I didn't warn you." As the light turned green, he smirked devilishly as he revved up the engine and sharply rounded the corner. Kyo's arms shot out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around his waist. She pulled herself closer to his body as they continued up the street.

"You jerk!" she snapped fiercely, "You did that on purpose!"

"You can't prove that," he shot back, grinning at his handiwork. As she clung to him tightly, he couldn't help but feel good. Sure she didn't completely remember the good times they had shared during the time travel but hey, a clean slate was better than none at all.


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue

Epilogue

It had been 2 months since she had said yes to being with him. Zeke felt good about the relationship but something kept nagging him. After dropping her off at her house at 7 PM from a triple date with Virgil, Stephanie, Jeanette, and Charlie, something nagged him even as he went to bed.

As he stared up at the ceiling, he couldn't help but wonder and worry. What had he done wrong to be denied it? They had been together for 2 months and in all that allotted time, they had not once kissed. Never. Not once. Sure they had held hands but that was it.

Zeke looked over at his clock which read 12 AM. That did it. He couldn't sleep, not without getting that nagging feeling out of his mind. He threw back the covers and threw on a t-shirt lying on the floor. Once fully dressed, Zeke snuck out quietly and revved up his motorcycle engine. He wasn't worried about his dad catching him at all. His dad snored like a revving engine and he was a heavy sleeper on top of that.

The wind blew sharp knives of cold air onto his face as he accelerated toward her house. As he approached the house, he looked up to see her coming out of the back door. Her eyes met his as she rushed toward him.

"Hey," he whispered breathlessly as he blushed at the sight of her pajamas. She was wearing sleep boxers with a t-shirt that hugged her slender form.

"Hey yourself," she joked lightly, "So what's up? You aren't the type to usually go out for night drives like this." Zeke flushed and thought about how he wanted to ask this.

"Something that's been bugging me lately," he began, "I've, I've been wondering why we've never kissed yet." There. He said it. Kyo stared back at him, surprised.

"You don't seem like the type who wants to be kissed," she commented. She shyly looked up at him as she continued. "Honestly Zeke, I'd never thought you'd ask." Before he could react to what she had just said, Kyo's lips gently pressed against his. Shivers went down his spine and he nervously wrapped his arms around her petite body. Whoa. As she pulled away she turned slightly pink. "Was it worth the wait?" she asked curiously.

Zeke stared back at her dazed. His hand went to his lips and he blushed a deep red. "Yeah," he mumbled shyly, "It was."


End file.
